Troops tell admiral to end 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Admiral Mike Mullen held a 25-minute question and answer session with troops in Amman, Jordan yesterday. At the end of the session not one of them asked him about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" so he brought the subject up on his own, McClatchy reports:

"As it turned out, none of the two dozen or so men or women who met with Mullen at Marine House in the Jordanian capital Tuesday had any questions on the 17-year-old policy that bars gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military — or Mullen's public advocacy of its repeal."

McClatchy continues:

"At Tuesday's session, which included not only Marines, but members of the Army and the Air Force, both male and female service members explained why they were nonplussed by the issue: They'd already served with gays and lesbians, they accepted that some kind of change was imminent, and, they said, the nation was too engulfed in two wars for a prolonged debate about it. That there's been so little reaction raises questions about how much study the issue needs and whether the Pentagon study is meant to pacify its concerns — or Congress'."

Mullen says that since his testimony "not a single servicemember" has asked him about the issue and those gathered before him in Jordan "made it clear they've already accepted the idea of gays and lesbians serving among them."